Why a mini tripod is necessary for The Rpi High Quality Camera

all arducam tripods

Let’s face it, when you leave aside all the glorious specifications of this Sony IMX477 sensor the Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera uses, the only thing there is left to overwhelm people is the ridiculous weight of the entire camera and lens set.

The official Rpi HQ Camera module and a C-mount lens together weigh more than 150g, which is the equivalent of three Rpi 4 boards.

raspberry pi high quality camera c mount 16mm lens weight

It’s way too heavy as an embedded camera. (This is also the reason why we have S-mount M12 lenses prepared.)

Your good old third hands won’t work anymore, you need something more bearable to hold the HQ camera up in proper ways, you need tripods.

Can I use a DSLR or any tripod with the Raspberry Pi HQ camera module?

Yes, you can attach your High Quality module to any tripod head featuring a screw that meets the tripod thread standard (1/4-20 UNC).

That, in other words, means roughly all camera tripods are compatible with the HQ camera.

Whether you already have a fancy DSLR camera tripod or not, we’d totally recommend against using these kinds of tripods, because:

  1. It’s pricey in terms of an embedded system.
  2. It’s not portable, and moving the HQ camera and the Raspberry Pi around can be agonizing.
  3. You are going to need longer ribbon cables.

This is when a mini tripod could come in handy.

Best Mini Tripods for The Raspberry Pi High Quality camera

How we choose a tripod:

Size & weight: Small, light weight ones are preferred.

Leg Material: Aluminum comes first, then high-quality ABS/PU, all of them have anti-slip rubbers under their feet.

Portability: A tripod should be easily carried around with the whole Raspberry Pi set (Pi board, display, power banks, enclosures, HQ camera, etc.)

Price range: No tripod should exceed the $20 cap. We favor affordable, uncostly ones.

1. Portable HQ Cam Tripod Stand

  • Dimensions: 1.18 x 1.18 x 3.54 inches
  • Weight: 1.58 ounces
  • Maximum weight capacity: 2.2 lbs/1 kg

This is a tripod that goes easily into your pockets along with your pi boards and cameras, It’s also great for small desks.

2. Camera Tripod Stand with Switchable Heights

  • Dimensions: 7.87 x 1.57 x 1.57 inches
  • Weight: 3.53 ounces
  • Maximum weight capacity:

A basic tripod that can be positioned at 3 heights: 2.16/4.4/5.11 inches. You can use it with most HQ camera and lens sets, pretty durable.

3. Ball Head Portable HQ Camera Tripod

  • Dimensions: 7.87 x 1.97 x 1.97 inches
  • Weight: 3.53 ounces
  • Maximum weight capacity:

An upgraded version of the the second tripod, the ball head mount can be really convenient for when you want to point your High Quality camera at different angles/directions.

4. Mini Tripod Stand w/ A Retractable Head Mount

  • Dimensions: 7.87 x 1.97 x 1.97 inches
  • Weight: 3.53 ounces
  • Maximum weight capacity: 3.3 lbs/1.5 kg

A tiny, handheld tripod with a collapsible head mount that goes all the way up to 300 mm/11.8 inches long.

5. 2-in-1 Ball Head Camera Tripod with Retractable Legs & A Bubble Level

  • Dimensions: 7.87 x 2.36 x 2.36 inches
  • Weight: 9.8 ounces
  • Maximum weight capacity: 6.6 lbs/3 kg

A highly-adjustable tripod stand that are not only perfect for a HQ camera but also good for phone & high-end DSLR cameras.

6. Ball Head Tripod Stand with Retractable Legs

7. Aluminum Camera Tripod with A Suction Cup, Retractable Legs and Bubble Level

8. Flexible Tripod Stand for Rpi High Quality Cam

  • Dimensions:
  • Weight: 2.12 ounces
  • Maximum weight capacity: 1.8 lbs/0.8 kg

A Gorillapod-style tripod with bendable legs, it has the ability to put your HQ cam anywhere you want.

Longer or Shorter Ribbon Cables? FPC Cables in Varying Lengths.

The official High Quality camera offers a 200 mm (7.87 inch) ribbon cable and expect people to use it with a one-length-fits-all attitude.

Yet conventional wisdom has it that you need specific lengths for specific uses.

And here are what we have for experienced pi camera users:

Arducam has all the cables you might ever need

How to prop the HQ camera up without using a tripod

Use your own hand: The most practical, cost-effective way to stabilize the RPi high quality camera. Just grab it and you are good to go.

Use PCB Clamp holders: A nice alternative to bare hands, it’s stable enough, yet painful when trying to change the pointing directions.

Use tapered screws: See those four little holes on the HQ camera’s PCB? You can effortlessly fix the camera to any penetrable surfaces using some 2 mm tapered screws.

DIYing/3D Printing your own tripod for the HQ camera

If none of the above mentioned tripods meet your expectations, we strongly suggest making your own tripod through 3D-printing or maybe even woodwork.

Bonus: An enclosure-as-a-tripod set for your Raspberry Pi and High Quality Camera

Imagine a Raspberry Pi case like the following:

Picture Credit: Becca Farsace from the Verge

You can say it’s a weird Raspberry Pi case, or a mixture of a Pi board enclosure and a tripod head.

It holds the high quality camera on top, and also functions as a mounting head with which you can use standard tripods.

This case-and-tripod thing can save you a lot of trouble while matching your Raspberry Pi with the High Quality camera and different lenses.

Let us know what you think!

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